Chapter Nineteen Yamalārjuna-bhaṅga Breaking of the Two Arjuna Trees

Śrī Nārada said: Churning yogurt in their Gokula homes, the gopīs sang of Lord Gopāla's transcendental pastimes,

Rising early in Nanda's palace, beautiful Yaśodā put yogurt in a jug and churned it.

His anklets jingling, Nanda's son eagerly danced to get some butter.

Dancing, following His mother, and making His ornaments jingle sweetly, He played as a child.

After again and again begging His mother for some fresh butter, intelligent Kṛṣṇa finally took an emerald in His hand and angrily broke the yogurt-churn.

Beautiful Yaśodā could not catch her fleeing son, for He was always a hand's length away. Even the kings of the yogīs cannot attain Him. Why should He fall in His mother's grip?

O king of kings, then Lord Hari showed that He places Himself under the control of His devotees. Yaśodā caught her son and angrily tied Him with rope to the grinding mortar.

The ropes all became very small on her son. He who is beyond the material world cannot be bound with rope. How can He be bound with rope?

When, frustrated and depressed, Yaśodā stopped trying, then independent Kṛṣṇa kindly allowed her to bind Him.

O king, the mercy He gave His mother He never gave to the renunciants and philosophers, what to speak of the fruitive workers. Lord Kṛṣṇa gives them liberation, not devotional service.

The gopīs quickly came. Seeing the broken yogurt-churn and the frightened child tightly bound with ropes to the grinding mortar, they became filled with compassion and spoke.

The gopīs said: In our homes the children break these clay jugs all the time. O wife of Nanda, we say that you are not kind.

O cold, merciless Yaśodā, O queen of Vraja, you beat this boy with a stick and tied Him up only because He broke a clay jug.

Śrī Nārada said: After this was spoken and Yaśodā became absorbed in her housework, Kṛṣṇa, dragging the mortar along, went with the boys to the Yamunā.

His belly bound with a rope, smiling Lord Kṛṣṇa wandered between two great old arjuna trees by the Yamunā's shore.

Kṛṣṇa tugged at the sideways grinding mortar. By His tug the two trees were uprooted and fell to the ground.

The violent sound of their falling was like thunder. From the two trees emerged two demigods splendid as fire.

Circumambulating Lord Dāmodara, touching His feet with their helmets, and offering obeisances to Him, the two demigods stood before Him with folded hands.

The two demigods said: O infallible Lord, by seeing You we are now free from a brāhmaṇa's punishment. We should not have offended Your devotees.

Obeisances, obeisances to You, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the pleasure of the cows, land, and senses, the auspiciousness of the worlds, an ocean of mercy, the Lord whose belly is bound with a rope!

Śrī Nārada said: Bowing down to Lord Hari, the two demigods left for the north. Then, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, the frightened cowherd people arrived.

When they were asked, "How did these two trees fall down without any wind? O children of Vraja, please tell us," the children of Vraja spoke.

The children said: Kṛṣṇa made the two trees fall. From the trees two effulgent men came. They bowed down to Kṛṣṇa and then went to the north.

Śrī Nārada said: The gopas did not believe what they heard from the boys. Then Nanda untied His boy bound to the grinding mortar with ropes.

Then Nanda placed his boy on his lap, embraced Him, smelled Him, rebuked his wife, and gave a hundred cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas.

Śrī Bahulāśva said: Who were those two effulgent men? O best of the demigod sages, please tell me. Because of what sin did they become two arjuna trees?

Drunk on varuṇī wine and proud of their possesions, they walked naked as many apsarās sang to them.

One day the great sage named Devala, who had gone to the farther shore of the Vedas, saw the two degenerate, naked, forgetful men and spoke to them.

paripūrṇatamaṁ sākṣāt kṛṣṇaṁ dāmodaraṁ harim goloka-nāthaṁ taṁ dṛṣṭvā pūrva-rūpau bhaviṣyathaḥ dvāpara-ante—at the end of Dvāpara-yuga; bhārate—in Bhārata-varṣa; ca—also; māthure—in Mathurā; vraja-maṇḍale—in the circle of Vraja; kalinda-nandinī-tīre—on the Yamunā's shore; mahāvana-samīpataḥ—near Mahāvana forest; paripūrṇatamam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sākṣāt—directly; kṛṣṇam—Kṛṣṇa; dāmodaram—Dāmodara; harim—Hari; goloka-nātham—the master of Goloka; tam—Him; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; pūrva—previous; rūpau—form; bhaviṣyathaḥ—you will attain. At the end of Dvāpara-yuga, in Bhārata-varṣa, in Māthura district, in the circle of Vraja, on the Yamunā's shore near Mahāvana forest, you will see the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is the master of Goloka, and who is known as Dāmodara and Hari. When you see Him, you will regain your original forms.

In this way, by Devala Muni's curse, Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva became trees and were liberated by Lord Kṛṣṇa.